ViewSonic VP2250wb 22in Monitor

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Review Price: £248.40

Initially, you might think the ViewSonic VP2250wb to be an ordinary 22in monitor, but a quick glance at its £250 price tag reveals it should be anything but. After all, for this kind of money you can get the 24in Iiyama ProLite B2403, which offers identical adjustability and inputs, in addition to a higher resolution and more screen real estate. Even the panel technology is the same: TN+Film in both cases.

What makes the VP2250wb special, though, is that it is part of ViewSonic’s recently refreshed ProSeries; monitors for ‘top professional users’ – mainly in the fields of graphics, digital design and engineering. Apart from supposedly class-leading ergonomics and a comprehensive 3-year warranty, the real ace up the ProSeries’ plastic sleeve is extended/wide colour gamut – in this case 106 per cent. For those who are not familiar with what that means, the percentage refers to the standard NTSC colour gamut, of which sRGB is a sub-set. So here we have a panel that should be able to display the full NTSC range and more, theoretically leading to richer, more precise colours.

In general, I am sceptical concerning the use of wide gamut technology in TNs, largely due to concerns about poor viewing angles and the colour shift it generates. On paper though, the VP2250wb certainly has the specifications to make this a graphics professional’s dream, including a 3000:1 dynamic contrast ratio (1000:1 native) and claimed 170 degree viewing angles. So let’s find out how ViewSonic’s effort holds up in the real world.

First impressions are certainly positive. The monitor arrives in two easy to assemble parts: one the panel and attached spring-action leg, the other comprising an impressively heavy and sturdy base. Indeed, it’s instantly obvious what market ViewSonic is trying to appeal to, since everything about the VP2250wb ”screams” industrial.

There are none of the curvy, mirror-finish shenanigans you’ll come across on many screens. Instead, you get a reassuringly rugged, chunky monitor finished in hard-wearing, matte black plastic; with obvious, square buttons unashamedly glowering from the middle of the lower bezel on either side of the solid, chunky LED (which is distractingly bright, but at least blue) that doubles as the power button.

Thanks to the amazingly heavy base it is almost impossible to move, unintentionally or otherwise. The base has three very long legs lending it excellent support and a rubber layer on the bottom plus 5 rubber feet, meaning no matter how often the VP2250wb gets moved, it will never damage your desk.